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Life is Strange: Welcome to Blackwell Academy
Life is Strange: Welcome to Blackwell Academy is an officially licensedTweet by Matt Forbeck book written by and published by released on October 9, 2018. It is an "in-universe book that takes the form of a student guide to Blackwell Academy and the town of Arcadia Bay overlaid with notes, doodles and sketches from Max and Chloe".Official announcement tweet It also features in-game illustrations such as posters, journal drawings, stickers, graffiti, as well as concept art. The book is designed to have been published in 2010, before the events of Before the Storm. "The original books were published in 2010, before the prequel. Chloe and Rachel defaced it, along with some help from others. Later, Max found it and also defaced it. As it is, it’s snatched from just before the end of Life is Strange."Twitter post by Matt Forbeck The author has stated the work indirectly involved Dontnod Entertainment and Square Enix, as contact was conducted through his editor at Titan Books.Tweet by Matt Forbeck Although not directly involved with Dontnod, some feedback was provided by Michel Koch.Tweet by Michel Koch The hardcover version of the book is listed to have 160 pages. Official Description "An atmospheric and characterful look at the world of the hugely successful video game Life is Strange, through the eyes of Max and Chloe. Welcome to Blackwell Academy is an in-universe book from the Life is Strange video game franchise from Dontnod Entertainment and Square Enix. This detailed book takes the form of a student guide to Blackwell Academy and the town of Arcadia Bay. Overlaid onto the pages is graffiti: notes, doodles, sketches and photographs from the Blackwell students themselves, including contributions from the beloved protagonists Max and Chloe. Welcome to Blackwell Academy includes information on the staff and facilities of Blackwell Academy, the people and locations of Arcadia Bay, overlaid with funny, irreverent and poignant comments from the students." The Author "Matt Forbeck has been a full-time creator of award-winning games and fiction since 1989. He has sixteen novels published to date, including the award-nominated Guild Wars: Ghosts of Ascalon and the critically acclaimed Amortals and Vegas Knights. His latest work includes the Magic: The Gathering comic book and the historical horror novel Carpathia." Content Disclaimer The following disclaimer appears at the bottom of the credits page: Welcome Message The book features a "Welcome Message" written by Sean Prescott who is introduced as a "pillar of the community". Locations The book features information on Arcadia Bay, Blackwell Academy and various other locations around Arcadia Bay, including the Two Whales Diner, (...) Arcadia Bay The guide lists the following places as places of interest: Arcadia Bay Shore, Arcadia Bay Lighthouse, Culmination Park, Overlook Park, Arcadia Bay Cemetery, Arcadia Bay Golf Course, Totem Poles, and The Water Tower. Blackwell Academy TBA Two Whales Diner "Come on down to the most popular restaurant in all of Arcadia Bay: the Two Whales Diner! We feature homestyle cooking guaranteed to drive those homesick blues away." (TBC) Other Locations The guide features an "amenities, services, shopping and restaurant guide" that features the following places: Arcadia Drive-In, Arcadia Bay Sheriff's Department, Arcadia Bay Hospital, ACFC Drive-Thru, Arcadia Gas, Arcadia Pawn, Bean Hip Cafe, Harbor Inn, Pacific Steve's Famous Crab, Rue Altimore Restaurant, Sav-Mart, Tony's Liquor Store, Two Whales Diner and Up All Nite Donuts. Characters Student Profiles The guide features a student profiles section that consists of "profiles of some of the most prominent and involved members of our student body", such as Rachel Amber, Victoria Chase, Steph Gingrich, Warren Graham, Michael North, Nathan Prescott, Chloe Price, and Justin Williams. (TBC) Residents of Renown * Mayor Libby Cochran * Sheriff Ronan Newell * Chief Mitchel Camber * District Attorney James Amber * Principal Raymond Wells * Superintendent George Wolchezk * Kathy Coulson * Sean Prescott Lore Expansion Taking artistic freedom, the book is expanding on the already established lore in Life is Strange by Dontnod Entertainment and its prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm created by Deck Nine Games. Additions made by author Matt Forbeck include: * Custodian Samuel graduated from Blackwell Academy in 1978 and has been working there as a custodian for 20 years. * Victoria was born in Seattle, but her family originally is from Manhattan, and they get back there "as often as possible." * Victoria also is, next to the Vortex Club, a member of the Photography and French clubs at Blackwell Academy, and likes swimming. * Mayor Cochran was originally mentioned in Life is Strange, the guide assigned the mayor a first name and the female gender. Possible Inconsistencies * Victoria's student profile states that she lives off-campus, which has never been stated and is very unlikely since her family lives in Seattle. In the original Life is Strange, Victoria also has a dorm room. * On their student profiles, every student answers the question 'Why did you come to Blackwell Academy?'. Even though the central motivation for Victoria to come to Blackwell was Mr. Jefferson lecturing there, as established in the original Life is Strange, Victoria doesn't mention him at all in that section. * (TBC) Trivia * The credits include Claudia Leonardi, the artist that works on the ''Life is Strange'' comic series, Scott Blows and Roxane Domalain, the brand managers for the Life is Strange franchise at Square Enix. * Author Matt Forbeck dedicates the book to his wife Ann and his kids Marty, Pat, Nick, Ken and Helen who "loved Arcadia Bay so much, that they insisted he visitit." * The "Map of Arcadia Bay" pages feature a reference to the 2009 horror thriller . * The author stated that he had consulted this Life is Strange Wiki when creating the book. Gallery Welcome_to_Blackwell_Academy_cover_2.jpg Welcome_to_Blackwell_Academy_image_3.jpg External Links * Titan Books * Amazon * Blog post about the book on Matt Forbeck's website References Category:Lore Category:Licensed Category:Season 1